Diamond in the Dirt
by Sashaplusone
Summary: Stripper Cath and young Sara
1. Chapter 1

Title: Diamond in the Dirt  
Rating: PG-13  
Author: Sasha  
Pairing: Catherine/Sara  
Spoilers: none.  
Disclaimer: I don't own these girls, I just play with them for a while….

It had been so long since they had seen each other. At the very beginning, a week apart seemed like too much. The young girl was all too eager to visit her at work, her eyes lit up and taking in every detail about the slender blonde's body as she danced. It wasn't about the sex that dripped from every pore of the dancer's body. No, it was about how simply amazing the woman was… although the sexiness was nice too.

The two got to know each other very well, and talking about your personal life was something a stripper was not to do, but she did with her watcher. The young girl fell deeper and deeper in love with this woman she had come to known. It was a known fact around the club; the young girl came to see the graceful blonde. The other dancers knew not to bother talking to the young girl simply because it would do no good. Plus, she belonged to someone.

Then, like a flash of lightening, everything changed. Another dancer whom the young girl had come to be friends with flirted with her. It was something so subtle the girl did not notice, but the blonde dancer did. The jealousy affected her so much, that she felt truly hurt. Being the strong, independent woman she is she did what she thought was necessary… push this girl away before either one of them fell victim to a broken heart. Little did she know by doing this she was not only breaking her heart, but the girl's. The young girl did not understand the change in the dancer, but tried to fix things.

Friends tried to console the young girl, but in the back of their minds they found the situation silly because everyone knew not to fall in love with a stripper. Flirting was their job, and they were only in it for the money. What they did not realize was that this dancer would not accept the young girl's money; she had cared about her far too much and deemed their relationship much deeper than a cheap thrill, a fantasy.

The young girl continued going in to the club in hopes everything will die down. They hadn't as quickly as she imagined. The blonde dancer blatantly ignored the girl, dancing in front of everyone else at the stage, except the girl who cared about who she was on the inside. Once she was off stage, this was a different story. She couldn't help watching the girl's every move, regret and pain reflecting from her crystal blue eyes. She watched as the girl drank herself stupid, and got talked into a dance from another dancer. The girl turned her head as she headed upstairs with the tattooed lady, catching the blonde's eyes flashing with jealousy. The young girl felt sick, knowing she was hurting the dancer she had come to fall in love with.

Weeks later, out of nowhere, the girl had a moment she couldn't explain. She hadn't been to the club since the last instance having been kept busy with work and life. She felt as though she needed to see the dancer at that moment or else what was left of their relationship would be gone forever. She sped down the highway in the heavy rainstorm, ignoring the fact that it was 2am and she needed to be at work only 6 hours later. She flung the door to the club open and frantically looked around, not seeing the blonde in sight. Tears filled her eyes as she felt dread take over her system. A bouncer she didn't know too well, but knew her put his hand on her shoulder asking if she was okay. She merely shook her head, brushing off his concern simply saying she was having a bad night. He asked what had happened, and she half lied saying she had a fight with a friend. He gave her a hug and wished her best as she looked around the club a bit more, hoping to see the girl she needed to talk to. She headed up the stairs to the DJ booth, asking him if the girl was there and he informed her that she left.

Tired and broken, the girl drove home with a crushed heart. As she slipped in to bed she vowed that she would try with everything in her to make the dancer realize how much of an impact she had made on the young girl's life and how she would do anything to keep her there.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed. Promises made by staff and coworkers assured the young girl that the woman she not-so-secretly was in love with was on vacation. At first the girl felt put off, wondering if she merely received false hope. As time continued to pass beyond her expected return she began to wonder if the woman had simply told management she was going off on holiday with plans never to return.

Still, the girl waited.

Author's Notes: Sorry guys, this doesn't even count as a chapter but this is a true personal story, and like the main character, I'm still waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

The young girl came into the club like always eyes searching for a miracle. The dancer who had caused drama between the blonde dancer and the young girl was there. She had come to be a friend of sorts to the young girl. After thinking the blonde dancer was not coming back, she figured why not befriend the petite brunette dancer. The club was busy, which was a good thing. She walked up the stairs to the DJ booth to see her friend.

"Guess who worked last weekend." He said. The girl's face went blank.

"Nuh uh." She said, oh-so-eloquently. He nodded and informed she was working tomorrow night. The girl sighed. She really couldn't afford to make it into the club that night, let alone tomorrow. Nonetheless she was so excited that she had, indeed returned… not that she would let that show.

The whole night thoughts of the blonde had plagued her mind. The friend she who accompanied her to the club had never been there before, so the girl gave him the rundown. While talking about the woman who had captivated her so much, her eyes lit up and an uncontrollable smile graced her features. Even more so once her friend informed her she 'had it bad.' The only thought weighing on her mind being, what was gonna happen when they see each other? The last time they saw each other the blonde dancer wouldn't make eye contact. The girl went up to her stage every time, and the dancer ignored her. Off the stage was a completely different story. When the dancer wasn't in the glowing colorful lights, her eyes wouldn't leave the young girl. If the young girl looked around and saw the dancer, sorrowful blue eyes met her own until the dancer broke eye contact. This all happened after their blowup. Here, four months later, she wasn't sure what to expect. The young girl's eyes followed the energetic brunette dancer, and watch as the girl gave secret signals to make the young girl smile. Other than that, the dancer ignored her, she was just too busy.

As the young girl thought about it, the blonde dancer was never ever too busy to come over and give her a hug and spend time with her. She never once put her off. Now this was a decision? Seriously? Its between the most amazing woman she's ever met whom she was pretty sure once she saw again she would once again be head over heels in love, and then there's the brunette. The woman who claimed she was a true friend, but would ditch plans regularly with the young girl. She did everything in her power to get in between the blonde dancer and the young girl, and when the blonde went away she kept the girl at arm's distance claiming she was too busy all the time. The young girl couldn't believe she actually had to put thought into this decision. She was going to give it her all to fix things with the blonde.

Throughout the day, butterflies haunted her stomach. She contemplated not going on account of her fear of being sick. Nonetheless she had to do it if she wanted to fix things. She entered the club, and immediately her eyes scanned the room. Her heart sunk, as she didn't see her dancer. She took note that the brunette dancer was nowhere in sight either. She walked up to her friend Andy who is usually the DJ, but was a bouncer on Saturdays who was standing in front of the single stage.

"It's the day." He said with a big smile. The girl smiled back and gave him a hug. They got wrapped up in conversation, and the girl decided she needed a drink other than her beer to calm her nerves. As she was walking up to the bar, she slowed her stride thanks to a group of people standing around at the base of the stairs. She sighed and looked up, her eyes meeting crystal blue. Immediately, the girl froze to the spot as her and the blonde dancer stared at each other. Time seemed to stand still as they looked at one another. The guy on the dancer's arm pointed out that they had a clear path, as they were shaken from their trance and she began walking up the stairs as the girl headed to the bar.

After downing a shot and draining her beer, she got another beer and headed over to Andy to keep each other company. Before she knew what was happening, the young girl heard the dancer's stage name announced, and she sauntered over towards the girl and bouncer. The young girl's eyes widened as she took in her outfit, a deputy sheriff outfit complete with a badge which barely covered her backside. The bouncer stepped forward to help the dancer off the stage, and the blonde up onto the stage. The young girl's eyes never left the blonde's body. The way she moved to the music was so fluid like it took no effort at all. As the song came to an end, the girl cleared her throat and watched as Andy helped her down the steps and onto the floor. Knowing that there was a once song break in-between when the dancer got off that stage and went to the main stage, the young girl took a seat and waited for the blonde to be called up. Dancers changed stages, and the blonde gracefully walked up the stairs. The young girl watched as she dances in front of two businessmen to her right. This could go one of two ways: either the dancer will come to her next or skip over her as she did the last time they saw each other. As she finished up in front of them, she looked over to the young girl and gave her a bright smile before saying hello.

The young girl's face could have split in half from how fast the smile broke across her face. The dancer kneeled and leaned forward patting the stage in front of her, indicating for the young girl to join her up there. The girl spun around and pulled herself up onto the stage and lay down. The dancer slipped a dollar bill into the girl's pants before lifting her shirt and bra up to her neck. The blonde gracefully climbed over the girl in the opposite direction, and took the money out with her mouth; sliding back to pepper kisses over a flat stomach, while rubbing their bare chests together. Guys whooped and hollered as the dancer traced the girl's nipples with her lips. She slid backwards once more to rub noses with the girl and give her a kiss on the cheek. As the dancer moved back up to a kneeling position, she put the girl's clothes back into place before thanking her for the second time. The girl shot up and sat back down in her seat, watching the blonde with glazed over eyes.

Immense happiness filled the girl as she realized that there wasn't any strain on their relationship. She watched the dancer finish up the song and head to the other side of the stage. As she got down, the girl's head swam. She had hoped, but couldn't believe this was all happening. The dancer was somewhat busy giving dancers to customers who were in awe of the fact that the dancer would even speak to them. The young girl had to smile to herself. To say the dancer was charming would be a huge understatement. These poor men don't have a chance.

The girl watched as the dancer had a bit of downtime and was standing there talking to a coworker before she approached her. They hugged and caught up for a few minutes. The young girl apologized for what happened, and the dancer waved it off as being in the past. They had a great conversation until the dancer was called in a different direction. Busy, busy. Once the dancer was on stage again, the young girl was up there too with her. All the guys and a few women were wishing they were in the young girl's place, under the near nude blonde. They joked and danced together, had a blast until the dancer was off stage. They quickly fell back into their old rhythm, as if nothing had happened for those four months they hadn't seen each other.

The young girl went back over to her bouncer friend and was spending time with him, when she looked over. The blonde dancer was dressed in her street clothes, meaning she was off the clock. The bouncer smile and nudged her, and the girl made a lame excuse about her hands being dirty and her needing to wash them. While washing her hands, she heard a loud, cheery "Hey!" from behind her. She looked in the mirror and saw the blonde smiling brightly at her. They both washed their hands and made conversation. This being one of the only times the young girl had talked to her fully dressed, which is usually the opposite in most situations. The girl realized that she wasn't as shy around the dancer anymore, having almost lost her for good. They joked about getting older, and birthdays. They talked about what was new in their lives and new additions, as in pets. Soon, they would both have to leave the bathroom. When they did, the young girl remembered they really weren't allowed to socialize while the dancer was off the clock. The girl told the dancer, she really was lucky to have her back in her life and that she thought she would never see her again. The dancer smiled and informed her she only took some time off and that everything was right again. They said their goodbyes and gave each other a hug and kiss on the cheek before parting ways. After giving Andy a hug goodbye, the girl left the club with the brightest smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks came and went, every Saturday the young girl was in attendance, finding her blonde dancer waiting for her. Other dancers gave them sideways looks, and whispered to each other. Although the blonde dancer had an abundance of self confidence, it bothered her a bit knowing she was being talked about. The young girl noticed, and felt a twinge of guilt twist her stomach into knots. Customers saw them together and stared. Men who wore cocky grins as they saw the blonde, soon faded when she walked past them to the young girl. The scene played out like a modern day fairytale… in a different setting.

The two sat together, bodies turned to face each other; sitting so close their vision was blurred when looking at each other. They sat watching a round of amateur night when the young girl sighed slightly. The dancer sat back, and looked at the young girl with a questioning look.

"I'm not going to be coming in here anymore." The young girl announced with a shaky voice. The dancer's facial expression changed from confusion to worry.

"What? Why would you say that?" She asked.

"It's just…it's getting too hard. I can't keep doing this." If the young girl listened close enough, she would have heard the dancer's heart shatter.

"Why is it getting so hard? Things are great." She said rubbing the girl's forearm. The girl closed her eyes and looked away. She knew she had to do this.

"For you!" The girl snapped. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I'm wasting your time."

"You're not… What are you talking about?"

"You come here to work. Granted, you don't take my money from me, but I'm preventing you from doing what you're supposed to be doing." It hurt the girl to verbalize that the woman who held her heart was there to be dancing nude. It made her sick that there were men who leered at her every night. It made her stomach turn even more to know that to make a living, the dancer needed to grind on and act interested in every one of the Johns.

"I don't need you to tell me what I should be doing." The dancer said coldly.

"Why do you think I come here?" The girl asked as she picked at the small table in front of her. "Why do you think I'm here instead of somewhere else?"

"You know a lot of people here. You come here to relax and you just have a good time." The girl scoffed and looked into blue depths.

"At a strip club… men come here and spend hundreds of dollars in a night and some nights I don't even break twenty. Why do you think I come to a strip club, of all places, to hang out?" The dancer tilted her head at the girl, not losing eye contact. "Forget it. You don't even get it." The girl stood up before the blonde grabbed her hand.

"Don't go." She said in a small voice.

"Nothing's happened! It's been a year and a half. I have made myself clear in what I want or so I thought because you have no idea what I'm talking about. I can't keep coming *here* to see you. I won't." The young girl stalked to the door, nearly ripping it off the hinges at it opened. She knew she probably come off as crazy, but if the dancer knew her as much as she led on, she should understand… or so she hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

The young girl didn't try to hide how hard it was staying home on weekends rather than driving out to the strip club to see the woman who had captured her heart. She knew the woman had no way to contact her, besides the time she had given her a card with her number on it… but that was over a year ago.

Close friends who knew about the relationship asked questions. They asked why she wasn't at the club, and what happened. All the girl would say in response was "it's over." She felt like throwing up every time the woman crossed her mind, which was constantly.

Besides the questions being asked directly about the fallen relationship, everyone began to notice the difference in the girl. Instead of being happy and outgoing, she was dark and brooding. She barely ate or slept, causing her appearance to seem as if she were the walking dead. It appeared to look like she lost her will to live… which she did.

She heard the same things. There are plenty of fish in the sea. She doesn't deserve you. If it's meant to be, it will happen. None of it mattered. The dancer was all that mattered. Who knows how long she could have been left hanging, waiting. Besides, it's better to let go under your terms than fall and have no one catch you, right?

She began going on dates to appease her friends, each one as meaningless as its predecessor. She hated first dates more than anything; more so when she didn't care about herself let alone impressing some poor girl. There was actually a girl who couldn't take a hint and decided she was going to figure the young girl out. The kind heart wasn't exactly welcomed, but she was kept around because she saw something in her that made her trust her.

The night they shared their first kiss was a Thursday. They had just gotten back from the movies, and the short brunette asked the girl why she never smiled. Sure, she would crack jokes and smirk when she was being a pain in the ass but that was it. The young girl shrugged and said she was broken. The hollow look in her eyes as she spoke her answer let the girl know that was the end of discussion. The shorter woman leaned up and softly kissed her lips in hopes the act would make the girl smile. When she realized that she was not being kissed back, and that her plan failed she politely said goodnight and left.

The young girl watched her drive away and sighed heavily as it began to rain. Her heart felt like lead, dead weight, she mentally added. She almost laughed cynically as the rain began to pour, the irony thick in the air. She eyed the porch and how she was safe and dry from the rain, her eyes passing over the houses before her, blanketed by the night. After a few minutes she walked dejectedly into the house and lay down on her bed to stare at the ceiling.

She was woken from her sleep to the sound of knocking on the door. Looking at the clock and realizing it was after one in the morning, she rolled over hoping the person knocking would go away, or her roommate would answer. Her eyes popped open as she groaned; remembering that her roommate had went out of town on vacation.

"Christ, I'm coming!" she said as she trudged to the door, trying to somewhat straighten her bed head. She whipped the door open, ready to give the person hell when her breath was stolen from her chest. Blue eyes met hers, as she stared back at the dancer.

"Can I come in?" she asked, pointing out her soaking wet clothes. The girl said nothing as she moved to the side to let the small blonde into the house.

"Let's get you changed." The girl said, leading the dancer to her bedroom. She searched her closet through the many t-shirts for something that might fit the other woman's smaller frame. She decided on a pair of lounge pants and a small tank top, and handed them to the woman who still had an iron strong hold on her heart. The dancer smiled as the young girl turned her back to give her privacy to change, even though she had seen her naked more times than she can count. She got a warm feeling knowing that she was never looked at as a dancer. The blonde announced she was done changing before the young girl collected her clothes to put them into the dryer.

"Would you like something to drink?" the girl asked as she moved around the island, and into the kitchen.

"Please. Whatever is fine." She watched every controlled movement in the young girl. She knew she must have had a million questions for her, and was dying to ask but she would when she was ready. The girl had watched her move so many times, her eyes following every second and it was nice to be the watcher. The young girl brought over two mugs of hot chocolate, which was an amazing gift for someone who was just bathed in the downpour of rain.

"How did you find me?" the girl hesitantly asked.

"Andy told me." The girl silently nodded in response. "He kind of chewed me out for breaking his friend."

"Yeah.. Andy is protective like that." She simply said.

"I didn't know you two were that close. I knew you were friends but.. Well, Im really happy you are otherwise I wouldn't know where to begin."

"It's been a month and a half."

"I saw it. I had always seen it… the way you look at me, with such love. It scared me so much. I didn't want to begin a relationship that began with me asking you if I could give you a lap dance." The scowl the dancer was given told her she really had the girl's attention. "As much as I didn't want it, I couldn't help but want it twice as badly. I know you don't look at me as a dancer, it was never that. I was just too headstrong. When you left I was so hurt, and lost. Honestly, I didn't think the distance would last. I know it was killing me not seeing you." She took note of the young girl's appearance. She was so gaunt. She had dark circles under her eyes, eyes which looked so empty.

"and if I would have came back?" she quietly asked. "Would it have made a difference? I would be coming back to you as always."

"It would have."

"Why are you here?" the girl asked defensively. 'Ahh, so diversion is a defense mechanism for her.' The dancer sighed as she realized a simple 'I love you' wouldn't make everything sunshine and rainbows for them.

"I couldn't go another minute without seeing you." The young girl's eyes shot up at the admission. "I'm so in love with you, so crazy about you… I just couldn't be away from you." A silent tear rolled down the girl's flushed cheek.

"Fuck!" she breathed, standing up, hands covering her face. "This isn't, this cant be real. I can't breathe." She whispered. The blonde was in front of her within a split second's time.

"You can breathe, it's okay. I'm here." The small blonde wrapped her arms around the taller girl's body, her head lying on her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere." The girl calmed down quickly from the warmth of the smaller body against hers, and the sincerity in the words spoken. The buzzer from the dryer sounded, causing both women to look in the direction of the utility room.

"Stay with me." The younger girl whispered. The dancer nodded, love and hopefulness shining in her eyes. The young girl shut off the lights around the house and led the shorter woman to her room, hand in hand. The girl chewed her lip nervously eyeing the bed. The dancer sensed her hesitation before turning to her, placing a comforting hand against the girl's stomach.

"Just sleep." Watching as the tension rolled off the girl's shoulders in waves, the blonde smiled. The girl lay down, facing up and watched as the dancer climbed into her bed. As a thought that ran through her mind many times, it stole her breath to watch the image become reality. The blonde was to her left, on her side looking down at the young girl just watching her.

"You'll never know just how much I love you." The blonde dancer whispered with a hint of a smile.

"I love you too, so much." The young girl whispered back. "Thanks for finding me, I was dying without you."

"Thank you for letting me in." They both quieted at the statement, at both meanings of the statement. The young girl's fingers threaded through cool, damp blonde tresses. She felt her throat grow dry as blue eyes fluttered closed. The blonde didn't dare move. The taller girl's stomach muscles tightened as she slowly leaned up, her thumb tracing pink lips, her head swimming. She replaced her thumb with her lips, barely touching the other woman's mouth. The blonde gasped slightly, her hand moving to the girl's other side, steadying herself. Slowly more pressure was applied, as her hand tightened in the wavy blonde strands. Tongues met, worlds collided, hearts beat in a frantic rhythm, in perfect synch with one another. The passion that engulfed their kiss slowed to an exploring, yet familiar dance of tongues and lips.

"Tell me something." The blonde asked, slightly out of breath. "How long?"

"Since I very first laid eyes on you."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes welling up slightly with happy tears at the admission.

"You've always had my heart. I was blinded. When I saw you, shining like a diamond in the dirt."


End file.
